Stress-related modulation of inflammation in experimental models of bowel disease and post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome: role of corticotropin-releasing factor receptors.

The interaction between gut inflammatory processes and stress is gaining increasing recognition. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-receptor activation in the brain is well established as a key signaling pathway initiating the various components of the stress response including in the viscera. In addition, a local CRF signaling system has been recently established in the gut.